Running with iOS: Strava Run vs. RunKeeper vs. Nike+

Is Nike+ still the one to beat in the iOS running space? Ars investigates.

In May of 2006, Apple teamed up with Nike to announce a running tracker for use with the iPod nano. To put this moment in perspective, Apple had just opened its now-iconic flagship Fifth Avenue store days earlier. Usain Bolt shook in his golden Puma shoes as the world was encouraged to get off its collective behind and run with the help of their music players. Apple and Nike kept the momentum in 2009 when Apple announced its iPhone 3GS with built-in Nike+ support, and again in 2010 with the Nike+ GPS app, which eliminated the need for its proprietary shoe sensor. 2012 brought NikeFuel, a proprietary point system that tracks your activity; it's like a calorie, but with more dancing cartoon characters. Nike ruled the running roost and, for a time, it was good. But with all its success, Nike’s cumbersome Web interface for Nike+ was left to languish, and its competitors caught up. Developers took advantage of the iPhone’s GPS capabilities and created a whole host of outdoor running apps, attempting to topple the king that was Nike+.

Finally, in June of this year, Nike redesigned its entire Nike+ offering. Since we have a small (but growing) contingency of runners at Ars, we wanted to see how Nike's updated Nike+ Running app stacked up against some of the competition.

Strava Run

Strava looks fantastic. The simple Web interface is accompanied by an even lovelier mobile UI for iOS and Android devices. Nike+ has its bells and whistles that encourage the average Joe to get off their couch, but Strava's clean interface seems to be more appealing to those who already wake up at 5am and just want a no-nonsense analysis of their performance. In addition to tracking your data, it allows you to plug in your latest endeavor manually, along with the ability to track your routes via GPS. Integration with various Garmin devices is also available, should you not want you take your iPhone along for your trek. But not everything is roses: Strava’s social features are pretty shallow. While you can add friends, share runs with the requisite social networks, join clubs, and compare stats down to the section of road, there’s no way to directly challenge a buddy in a race or achieve a goal together—a much-loved feature in Nike+. Strava offers its own “Strava Challenges," which are running or cycling goals that encourage certain aspects of training such as climbing a certain number of feet or beating your personal best. Depending on your locale, however, their challenges can be impossible to complete and therefore may end up being useless to you.

Strava, the student that just missed the Dean's List.

Signing up for an account via Strava's signup form or Facebook was simple, and within minutes I was ready to strap on my FiveFingers and go out for a light jog. Right away, a huge disappointment that I discovered during my run was the lack of on-screen audio controls. My running headphones aren’t remote-equipped, so changing tunes was a task that severely hampered my pace.

Strava offers a premium subscription plan, which adds an incredibly detailed analysis of your activities as well as filtered leaderboards based on age and weight to see how you measure up to your competition. While it isn’t for everyone, I found myself wondering if I should at least try the premium plan just to see if I would enjoy the extra data points. Strava's premium features do come at a pretty high cost for what you get, though. For $6 per month or $60 per year, Strava charges a pretty penny for its more detailed analysis of your performance. While some of the features may seem a little gimmicky ("Suffer Score"? Really?), serious statistics-oriented athletes may still relish the extra details.

After my run, I felt conflicted about how to think about Strava. Nike’s app was better suited for my song-changing disposition, while Strava’s simple interface encouraged me to crunch numbers like an out-of-shape Ivan Drago. I found myself glancing at the app’s simple display of my stats throughout the day, something I’ve never done with Nike+. There were no emoticons asking me if it was chilly outside, no prominently displayed buttons asking me to share my less-than-ideal workout with others. And while I don’t think I’m ready to switch from Nike+, Strava delighted the statistician in me by showing me the raw numbers.

RunKeeper

RunKeeper is another longtime competitor in the fitness tracking game, using GPS and manual entry to track your running, cycling, or even cross-country skiing activities. The app seems to be the preferred alternative to Nike’s offering, boasting over 6 million users in 2011.

What sets RunKeeper apart from the rest of the pack is the amount of data that it allows you to store within your profile. You can track your weight loss and fitness level as well as your sleeping habits. The ability to see multiple data points and how they relate to one another is delightful, and is no doubt useful to someone who wants to see if their habits have any correlation with one another.

RunKeeper’s website is one of the more bland entrants in the design category. While Strava’s interface is decidedly minimal and Nike’s colorful, RunKeeper seems to be aiming for a unique kind of “boring” aesthetic. On the plus side, it does let you enter information manually, something Nike does not allow. The iOS and identical Android app is in a similar predicament; it’s not especially delightful to look at, but it gets the job done. The ability to change the screen orientation is a huge boon for me, as I like to take a glance at my iPhone while it's strapped to my arm.

Gets the job done. But that's as much as I can say about it.

RunKeeper’s running mode suffered from an oversight similar to Strava’s app: no built-in playback controls. While you could choose a playlist before you began your run, changing songs involved the same home button double-tap and swiping as it did on Strava’s app. During my run, RunKeeper surprised me with a “coach” that relayed statistics to me every few minutes in a very pleasant voice, similar to Nike’s. And unlike the rest of the apps I tested, RunKeeper's GPS tracking was more precise than the competition. It gave me a reading down to the hundredth of a mile rather than the tenth that has become the norm. Like Nike, a pace/elevation chart was also available, but what comes as a bittersweet feature is the inclusion of speed in the chart. Unfortunately, the speed overlay is the same color as the pace overlay, which is not very helpful when they’re all displayed together.

What may make RunKeeper more appealing than other fitness apps is its Health Graph. Unlike Nike or Strava, RunKeeper allows a variety of fitness apps to access your account and add their own data to it using RunKeeper’s Health Graph API. With the ability to track weight loss, sleeping patterns, diet, and body measurements, RunKeeper is marketing itself as a central hub for all of your health-based activity, running included. Another fitness service, MapMyRun, offers a similar API, but RunKeeper’s Health Graph implementation seems to be significantly more popular. The integration extends beyond apps into physical products like the Withings WiFi Body Scale and FINIS SwimSense Performance Monitor, just to name a few.

In looking for an app that integrates with RunKeeper's Health Graph, I stumbled upon the weightlifting-specific app Gym Hero. When asked why he decided to use RunKeeper's Health Graph, Gym Hero cofounder Jannis told me it was mostly about consolidation. “We’re a two-man gang doing this next to our day job, so creating our own graph was out of the question. We wanted to build upon the health graph because it’s a great idea (consolidating all your health related data in a place that’s open and where you can pull out your own data anytime)," he told Ars.

The Health Graph, app promotion on its site, and a dedicated following make RunKeeper quite popular despite some of its downsides. It is pretty easy to see why. With a fresh coat of paint, RunKeeper could be the ideal fitness database for developers and users alike.

Nike+ Running

Nike’s now-redesigned experience was a much-needed change to the company's previous unusable site and buggy iOS app. First, Nike added to its iOS app GPS coordinates for your outdoor runs along with a map of your route, viewable (sometimes) on Nike’s website. No longer is the Nike+ sensor necessary to track your runs through the wild roads of suburbia.

On the app's splash page, Nike prominently displays your total miles along with information pertinent to the masses like number of runs, calories burned, and the day you last ran. Any goal you have created on the website shows up at the bottom of the screen, a little reminder of a promise you once made to yourself and can still keep if you put those sneakers on. The ability to start a run almost always remains in a corner, save for when looking at a previous run.

But a feature I previously took for granted in Nike+ Running was its music integration. Where I would occasionally pause a workout when attempting to change a song, the buttons now have their own section in their respective corners. Touchscreen mishaps are now a thing of the past with this new layout, and switching songs has never been easier—an oversight by almost every other running app I looked at.

What's old is new, and better than before.

Patrick Austin

The run was pretty accurate in my experience, never missing a beat when I climbed a set of stairs or decided to do some light fartlek training. The soft voice of what I can only assume to be Siri’s more beloved sister popped up, informing me of my pace and distance. When finished, you have the option of syncing your run with Nike’s online presence.

On Nike’s redesigned website, nearby routes that were plotted and named by other runners are suggested to you as well. I’m not a man who would go four miles away from his home to run another four miles, but I did see the appeal in this feature. When synced and viewed online, a visual representation of your pace as it relates to your elevation is shown underneath your GPS route. After I synced my most recent run, the shockingly abrupt and flashy appearance of Fuelee, Nike+’s mascot, alerted me to an achievement of sorts: my fastest 5K. (I closed his little window, silently hoping that I would see him do yet another jig the next time I logged in for some other unforeseen accomplishment.)

The price to be a part of Nike’s + community has steadily decreased since its inception, no doubt due to free alternatives that may lure prospective buyers away. With somewhat pricey options like the Nike FuelBand, SportWatch GPS, and SportBand, the purchase of an iOS or Android device is enough to get you in the club. And although each runner has his or her own preferences when it comes to apps, the Nike+ Running app is still top dog in my book. Its appealing interface, both mobile and stationary, makes it easy to learn and use. And its use of NikeFuel, while forgettable, is just interesting enough to keep me running a little longer. I’m coming for you, Usain.

I guess I stick with Runkeeper (on Android) because at the end of my runs all I need is how far, how fast, and about how many calories. So I guess anything would work with me. Although Runkeeper will do cycling too, which is nice.

I only tried nike+ ios app for 1 day or not, then I deleted it. It's pretty silly that it stops recording when the screen is turned off! I wonder why Ars does not mention this. I think Micoach is a better alternative.

I've tried RunKeeper, Nike+, XTrail, iSmoothRun and Kinetic GPS for (all for iOS). I keep coming back to Kinetic GPS. Nice UI, Audio controls, good assortment of options for my runs. Hadn't heard of Strava Run until this post. Will take a look at that as well.

IMHO it's the best because it gives you a Workout-Plan creates speed zones and monitors your speed after it. The best for real training. Nike+ is kind of nice because it's social but it doesn't give you those fundamental features...

I guess I stick with Runkeeper (on Android) because at the end of my runs all I need is how far, how fast, and about how many calories. So I guess anything would work with me. Although Runkeeper will do cycling too, which is nice.

I strongly suggest runners and cyclists Check out Runmeter, not mentioned here, as well as sensor firm Wahoo Fitness.

I use the Runmeter app and the wahoo Bluetooth HR monitor, and found this head and shoulders the best running app. Also, as much as its integrated to social, you don't need a web account if you would prefer to dump your run data and maps straight into iCal like I do

Endomondo is the way to go. I use the iOS app and love it. It tracks a huge range of activities (cycling included) and seems spot-on with distance, speed, etc. The additional features of mapping, graphs with speed/vertical distance, and the ghost races are all really nice. Definitely meets my needs.

How do these on phone apps comapre to the gps watches (garmin, mike +, and motoactv)?

Compare isn't quite right (although Garmin does have a really strong website now for working out http:\\connect.garmin.com ) they really should be accessed by how well they work together.

Again, another plus for Runkeeper is its ability to connect to my Garmin watch and download the run directly into my profile. I doubt the Nike site does, but ARS should have looked at this for RK and SR.

Like some of the other RK users - I don't care about a fancy/flashy app on my phone. Heck since I bought my Garmin 410 a couple of months ago, I haven't even touched the app (don't need it). What I care about is the quality of the website and the tools it has for reporting and reviewing workouts. For this, Runkeeper blows them all away!

I really like the interface of Nike+, but there are two things keeping me from fully adopting it. First, is that you can't edit your runs or enter them manually. I want to be able to track everything, even if I don't have my phone with me. Second, there is no way to program intervals. I want to program in intervals (e.g. 400m repeats), but I only have the option of running for a set distance or a set time. I plan to stick with runkeeper for now.

Although the ability to switch songs mid-run would be great, there is just no chance that I will use the touchscreen to do so. I don't even glace at my watch (which I wear out of habit more than anything else) while running. I've toyed with the idea of looking for headphones with forward/back controls but I doubt I'd really end up using them because it would still take me off my pacing -- plus, I like my running headphones cheap and relatively disposable as they will be abused

Runkeeper's voice telling me my total time and per-mile pace every mile is awesome and there are other notification options but those are the ones I care about mid-run. I paid for the app a few years ago to get this feature and it was worth it (even though it is free now). Saves me from having to look at my watch while running.

None of the social features interest me much. For those that might care, Runkeeper is integrated with Fitocracy, though.

With my iPhone 3GS, Runkeeper's GPS tracking in Central Park was ... frustrating at first as it would regularly under-count my mileage by almost 10% but also occasionally screw up completely. But, I think my last 100 runs there were accurately tracked and my new Android has had no issues at all.

As a wish-list feature, I think voice-turn-by-turn directions would be great for those times I am running somewhere new; like visiting my parents in Oregon, for instance. Otherwise, I think it would be hard for me to give up Runkeeper for its accuracy, its three-plus years of my running history, and its audio mileage updates.

On Nike+:What I find really frustrating is that the app that comes bundled with the shoe sensor is not the same as the the GPS app. I would think that after having paid $20 for the shoe sensor, I'd at least be entitled to the the suite of applications, but that isn't true.

That said, the app that comes with the shoe sensor is horrendously inaccurate (even after several calibrations for runs and walks). I went ahead and paid the additional $1.99 for the Nike+ GPS app, and have been happy so far, but I still find that it's not as accurate as I'd like it to be (Running on iPhone 4).

I only tried nike+ ios app for 1 day or not, then I deleted it. It's pretty silly that it stops recording when the screen is turned off! I wonder why Ars does not mention this. I think Micoach is a better alternative.

AFAIK, that's not the case anymore. Background recording works (I don't own an iOS device so I can't confirm, but I do know people that have it installed and that's what they say).

If you're using RunKeeper on Android, just use a music player (PowerAMP/Spotify?) that has lockscreen controls. Then you don't have to dig through anything to change tracks. Just turn on the screen and hit the button.

I've been using RunKeeper since last spring and have issues with GPS reception and the ability to edit runs.

I run in a wooded area that is sunken between two highways in a populated area, and one of those is a major interstate. The GPS gets flakey if the iPhone 3GS I am using is put in my pocket, and can suddenly place me a mile away and then back. The usual 3.3 mile run can easily become 5 with a few momentary glitches. Once when a couple police cruisers entered the trail for a medical emergency, and passed close to me on the narrow trail, my mileage count quickly jumped up to 12.

Sudden jumps such as these ought to be filtered out since it impossible to run or even drive that fast in many cases. The app also knows the path typically run, so jumping off and then back on the path at impossible speeds should trigger some correction. The speed bar graph shows me running faster than a min/mile at these times.

Aside from auto correction, without a way to edit these errors manually, the workout data is ruined and damages the overall stats unless the entire session is deleted. This happens too often for me and I'd like the ability to select the impossibly high bars on the speed graph and "cancel" them, smoothing out that area using data from surrounding bars. A more intuitive approach incorporating the map is probably needed though.

A pedometer option like Nike+ offers probably helps the app understand when false jumps in the GPS coords occur without user intervention. With GPS data I imagine the app has an idea of the average stride length to make the pedometer more accurate when GPS becomes spotty.

One other issue is I forget to turn RunKeeper off when I get back to my car and end up running at 50+ mph for a couple minutes. I end up having to delete the entire run. If I could manually erase the end of a run, maybe with a slider of some sort, it would help. If the app could detect driving and set cut point on the slider automatically, even better.

Nike did two things that are really nice with the new Nike+ design. First, they eliminated the need to swap between multiple websites to review run data, fuel band data, etc. It is now all laid out nicely on one page. Second, they got rid of the ridiculous requirement for flash to be installed just to view the site. I don't have flash installed, so I used to just rely on my phone for everything. Now I can log into the website and view stats from my computer without a problem. I really like the new design.

Any suggestions for the best running app for head to head challenges and encouragement with a buddy across the state? We both run with iPhones for music, but use other devices for speed, distance, etc (a Polar RX800 and Timex GPS, respectively). I would prefer to not use Facebook, but will if I have no choice.

Instant notifications of runs and and real time encouragement would be a huge plus. I might even get out of bed and run if I know my buddy just started his run?

If you're using RunKeeper on Android, just use a music player (PowerAMP/Spotify?) that has lockscreen controls. Then you don't have to dig through anything to change tracks. Just turn on the screen and hit the button.

I use the Headset Button Controller app to start, stop, fast forward and rewind tracks through my headphones. It works really well and is pretty customizable. Unless you're looking for a specific track, you don't have to look at the screen at all.

I like SportsTracker Pro on Android for run tracking. It gives lots of data, splits, altitude, etc. and is very accurate for mileage. It also gives voice feedback at intervals you set. There are some enhancements I'd love to see for it (let me set a goal and count backwards from it, for example), but all in all it's a good, well-designed app.

It's been a while since I compared the various apps but when I looked a year or two ago it was the only app that did interval/speed training well.

It was easy to set up a run with various speeds on the web, and when you are running it notifies you by voice when you need to start going faster/slower. It also gives you a visual cue if you are above/below or in your desired zone.

have the other apps caught up in this regard? When I looked before the Nike app could not do speed variations at all, nor could run keeper (but I think runkeeper has added something similar since I last used it?)

Thumbs down to all the subscription based services. As mi coach and some of the others mentioned here are free to use I'm not sure why anyone in their right mind would pay monthly for such a service.

TLDR: mi couch rocks because it tells you what to do verus just telling you what you did.

I've been using RunKeeper since last spring and have issues with GPS reception and the ability to edit runs.

[...snip...]

Aside from auto correction, without a way to edit these errors manually, the workout data is ruined and damages the overall stats unless the entire session is deleted. This happens too often for me and I'd like the ability to select the impossibly high bars on the speed graph and "cancel" them, smoothing out that area using data from surrounding bars. A more intuitive approach incorporating the map is probably needed though.

You can edit the run data on the RunKeeper web site. I've had to do it once, where an erroneous starting point gave me a better than four minute mile.

I strongly suggest runners and cyclists Check out Runmeter, not mentioned here, as well as sensor firm Wahoo Fitness.

I use the Runmeter app and the wahoo Bluetooth HR monitor, and found this head and shoulders the best running app. Also, as much as its integrated to social, you don't need a web account if you would prefer to dump your run data and maps straight into iCal like I do

Check out Runmeter reviews and ratings

I have tried Nike+ MotionX and RunKeeper but I still end up on Runmeter.

Compare isn't quite right (although Garmin does have a really strong website now for working out http:\\connect.garmin.com ) they really should be accessed by how well they work together.

Again, another plus for Runkeeper is its ability to connect to my Garmin watch and download the run directly into my profile. I doubt the Nike site does, but ARS should have looked at this for RK and SR.

Like some of the other RK users - I don't care about a fancy/flashy app on my phone. Heck since I bought my Garmin 410 a couple of months ago, I haven't even touched the app (don't need it). What I care about is the quality of the website and the tools it has for reporting and reviewing workouts. For this, Runkeeper blows them all away!

+1

I absolutely hated the GPS for real time tracking on both my iPhone 3G and my Nexus S. Bought a Garmin 310xt and that solved that. From what I've experienced, the tracking from a dedicated watch/gps unit far exceeds that of a GPS enabled smartphone.

I liked RunKeeper for awhile until I started doing multisport workouts. For some reason, RK cannot properly evaluate the workout on a multisport activity from the Garmin. About 90% of my workouts do not import correctly (either by importing the TCX manually or using the Garmin plugin - the last "lap" of each workout gets cut off). The tool is useless if I can't accurately get data into it. To be fair, it's been a couple of months since I bothered to try because I stopped using it, they may have fixed it. They wouldn't even acknowledge the issue when I reported it though...

Now I just use the Garmin Connect website. Reports aren't as detailed as RK's, but the data is accurate and I like the auto upload of the data from my watch as soon as it gets into bluetooth range of my computer. Before committing to just using GC, Endomondo was my next choice and seems to be the site where a lot of RKs abandoning users migrate to.

I also should add, I'm a triathlete and swims are a regular part of my workouts with my Garmin. No smartphone app can currently meet those needs so feel free to completely disregard everything I've said.

Any suggestions for the best running app for head to head challenges and encouragement with a buddy across the state? We both run with iPhones for music, but use other devices for speed, distance, etc (a Polar RX800 and Timex GPS, respectively). I would prefer to not use Facebook, but will if I have no choice.

Instant notifications of runs and and real time encouragement would be a huge plus. I might even get out of bed and run if I know my buddy just started his run?

Try endomondo, you can compete on a route, and can see when your Endo friends are out running/biking/whatever.

I've tried Nike+ (admittedly a couple of years ago) and for whatever reason it wasn't as accurate as my wrist-mounted Garmin 205. I had them both on at the same time and went for multiple runs of 1 mile to compare accuracy. Although it was nice that Nike+ thought I went 1.2 miles in 9 minutes instead of 1 mile in 9 minutes--I knew I had lined up a 1 mile course by using my car odometer, and the Garmin was more accurate.

Maybe the iOS apps have improved recently, but I prefer the $100 Garmin + $100 iPod Nano strapped to me over a phone that will cost me $600 to get replaced when I get stuck in a rainstorm or drop the thing. I think there is still an argument to be made for a single use gadget that does its job really well. A phone may very well do everything equally well in the future, but I don't believe it's there, yet.

Compare isn't quite right (although Garmin does have a really strong website now for working out http:\\connect.garmin.com ) they really should be accessed by how well they work together.

Again, another plus for Runkeeper is its ability to connect to my Garmin watch and download the run directly into my profile. I doubt the Nike site does, but ARS should have looked at this for RK and SR.

Like some of the other RK users - I don't care about a fancy/flashy app on my phone. Heck since I bought my Garmin 410 a couple of months ago, I haven't even touched the app (don't need it). What I care about is the quality of the website and the tools it has for reporting and reviewing workouts. For this, Runkeeper blows them all away!

+1

I absolutely hated the GPS for real time tracking on both my iPhone 3G and my Nexus S. Bought a Garmin 310xt and that solved that. From what I've experienced, the tracking from a dedicated watch/gps unit far exceeds that of a GPS enabled smartphone.

I liked RunKeeper for awhile until I started doing multisport workouts. For some reason, RK cannot properly evaluate the workout on a multisport activity from the Garmin. About 90% of my workouts do not import correctly (either by importing the TCX manually or using the Garmin plugin - the last "lap" of each workout gets cut off). The tool is useless if I can't accurately get data into it. To be fair, it's been a couple of months since I bothered to try because I stopped using it, they may have fixed it. They wouldn't even acknowledge the issue when I reported it though...

Now I just use the Garmin Connect website. Reports aren't as detailed as RK's, but the data is accurate and I like the auto upload of the data from my watch as soon as it gets into bluetooth range of my computer. Before committing to just using GC, Endomondo was my next choice and seems to be the site where a lot of RKs abandoning users migrate to.

I also should add, I'm a triathlete and swims are a regular part of my workouts with my Garmin. No smartphone app can currently meet those needs so feel free to completely disregard everything I've said.

Got a garmin 910xt for my bday, and haven't looked back. Used runkeeper regularly before, but a dedicated unit is so much better, though I admit I don't listen to tunes while I exercise. (Partially a safety issue, but mostly I just don't like to.) Auto uploads, automultisport, and waterproof construction really make a dedicated unit like the garmin just so much better.

Also, if you're running without a heart rate monitor, you're missing out on a lot of important fitness data, and more accurate calorie burn info. It's really helped me, especially on the bike, to know when I'm goofing off too much.

And I'm with the earlier post, can't recommend www.dcrainmaker.com enough. That guy's reviews are ridiculous.